Energy Policy & Technology

Advances in how we produce carbon-free electricity are critical for meeting global emissions targets. This requires a coordinated effort to align technology roadmaps, regulatory frameworks, and market incentives and disincentives so that a dramatic and quick reduction in the carbon-intensity of our energy supply is achieved.

Reducing Coal

In November 2014, Friends of the Earth and the Western Organization of Resource Councils, with the support of Paul G. Allen and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to require the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) for the federal coal leasing program. In a blog post, Allen said "It is time for our government leaders to make informed decisions on how to best manage our public resources to meet our nation's energy needs."

The case was dismissed in D.C. District Court in August 2015 but a notice of appeal was filed to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in October 2015.

We commissioned a forward-looking analysis to understand the potential impacts of changes to the federal coal royalty system.

In January 2016, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced plans to launch a comprehensive review to identify and evaluate potential reforms to the federal coal program to ensure that it is properly structured to provide a fair return to taxpayers and reflect its impacts on the environment.

Nuclear Power

We have been working with partners to sustain the U.S.'s nuclear fleet and create an environment that fosters nuclear advancement. To date, we have been involved in efforts to protect nuclear power in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Ohio.

Vulcan Capital has invested in Tri Alpha Energy Inc., which is developing plasma fusion technologies for energy generation. In June 2017, Tri Alpha Energy started up a new nuclear fusion reactor that can operate at temperatures between 50 million and 70 million degrees centigrade -- a major milestone in validating its technology approach.

As part of our nuclear advocacy efforts, Vulcan Production produced Pandora’s Promise, a documentary about the history and future of nuclear power. The film explores how and why humankind’s most feared and controversial technological discovery is now passionately embraced by many of those who once led the charge against it.